Mike Korchinsky, founder and CEO of Wildlife Works play with his dogs at Washington Square Park in North Beach, Wed. Aug. 15,01.
Photo By Lacy Atkins/SanFrancisco Chronicle

Mike Korchinsky, founder and CEO of Wildlife Works play with his dogs at Washington Square Park in North Beach, Wed. Aug. 15,01.
Photo By Lacy Atkins/SanFrancisco Chronicle

Photo: Lacy Atkins

Image 2 of 3

Howard Gee, store owner of ab fits, in North Beach, holds the t-shirts in the Wildlife Works line of clothing, Wed. Aug. 15, 01. Photo By Lacy Atkins/SanFrancisco Chronicle

Howard Gee, store owner of ab fits, in North Beach, holds the t-shirts in the Wildlife Works line of clothing, Wed. Aug. 15, 01. Photo By Lacy Atkins/SanFrancisco Chronicle

Photo: Lacy Atkins

Image 3 of 3

The call of the wild / Local company's clothing makes conservation cool

1 / 3

Back to Gallery

When most people hear the phrase "environmentally friendly clothing," they think of shapeless hemp garments. Faded "Save the Whales" T-shirts. Birkenstocks.

Not that there's anything wrong with that. But Mike Korchinsky, founder and CEO of Wildlife Works, had a different vision. It involved good causes and clothing, but in a way that had never been tried before.

The lifelong environmentalist, who worked for Accenture and founded Axiom Management Consulting, had his epiphany while on a private retreat in Kenya in 1996. Beyond the jaw-dropping experience of seeing elephants and other endangered animals up close, the trip provided "a crash course on community wildlife conflict," he says from the company's Union Street office, where boxes of merchandise crowd the stairwell.

Korchinsky started asking questions, and learned that as a result of Kenya's population exploding from 6 million in the 1960s to 35 million today, people had increasingly been forced to compete for scarce resources on often barren land. Wildlife was typically confined to reserves created during colonial times, without consultation from the people living in those areas. Poaching was commonplace.

President Trump addresses nation after mass shooting at Florida SchoolWhite House

"It became clear to me that to have wildlife conservation, the answers need to be economic," he said. "Connecting wildlife to work is the idea that I came up with."

But it took Korchinsky a year and a half to flesh out a business model and decide where to try it out. He cashed in his chips from Axiom and started rounding up private investors, many from the Pacific Northwest. In 1999, Wildlife Works purchased a failing cattle ranch on the edge of Tsavo National Park and constructed an eco-factory and wildlife sanctuary. The 20,000-acre factory, made using rammed earth, was completed in December of last year.

Korchinsky chose Kenya for both practical and sentimental reasons. Using a grass-roots approach, he worked with the government and tribal councils to convince them that wildlife was a unique asset that could be protected without jeopardizing their livelihoods.

Rukinga, the 80,000-acre sanctuary surrounding the factory, is home to 47 mammal species and several endangered species. When it first opened, guardians found 800 snares set to trap animals. A year and a half later, the elephants have returned, and Korchinsky considers the snares' scarcity "a testament to the community's buy-in."

SAN FRANCISCO BASE

Then came the challenge of "finding the right mix of design and styling" and making sure the price would be competitive. Early designs, such as the signature safari jacket and khakis (a favorite of Korchinsky and other "deep green" types, he says), helped establish the brand. The company's sporty T-shirts, however, really tapped into the fashion zeitgeist. Creative Director Tammy Hulva was brought on late last year to make sure the clothes stayed on top of trends, such as boot-cut pants and the logo craze. A higher-end women's line of jewel-toned hemp silk dresses and separates is planned for winter.

The animal-themed lines make up the bulk of the collection, and are designed with endangered species as mascots of a place or the Rukinga Sanctuary, while the "Activist" group promotes slogans such as "Tree Hugger." The organic cotton shirts ($28) come in baby T, tank or long-sleeved styles, and a variety of unusual warm and cool colors like banana, sapphire and peat.

Howard Gee, who co-owns A B Fits in North Beach, started carrying the shirts a few months ago, and has found plenty of takers.

"They're really cute women's tees that are great colors, and the fit is really good, too," he says.

The difference? Unlike most T-shirt companies, which purchase blank shirts in bulk, "these T-shirts are cut for them by a designer," Gee says. "It's cut so that it fits the feminine body pretty nicely."

In fact, celebrities have been some of the line's biggest fans. Wildlife Works clothing is carried by chichi Fred Segal in Santa Monica and shows up on a long list of Hollywood's usual fashion suspects, including Catherine Zeta-Jones, Helen Hunt and South African-born actress and environmentalist Charlize Theron, who is particularly interested in helping save black rhinos.

A STRONG BRAND

Korchinsky's experience consulting with companies such as IBM, Levi and Esprit proved invaluable.

"People were losing sight of what a brand is supposed to be: a reflection of what is special and unique," he says. "The time was right for a very strong brand reflecting a reality that was much stronger than had ever been in the market before."

Korchinsky believes consumers want to do the right thing and support causes they care about, but often aren't given the opportunity. Wildlife Works "provides an easy way for people to get involved in helping wildlife."

To date, Wildlife Works has channeled $1.2 million into its Kenya efforts, and is projecting $3 million sales in next year. T-shirt reorders are about 300 percent, and retailers from coast to coast have committed to carrying the line again.

For now, Wildlife Works' clothing lines are produced in San Francisco because it's easy to ensure environmental protections, good labor practices and a steady source of organic fabrics such as eco-fleece, eco-wool and hemp silk, Korchinsky says.

But training has begun at the Kenyan eco-factory, and Korchinsky estimates its first production will be in a few months. Since the beginning, Wildlife Works has employed townspeople as trainers and wildlife guardians, and has used proceeds to help upgrade schools. "I'm in it for the long haul," Korchinsky says. "When I left my other business, I felt like I'd become a victim of my own success."

He wanted to make sure his next venture was one he'd be happy being successful in.